Ahmad FouadAhmad Fouad is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on the effects of virtual agents on user motivation in virtual reality. With a background in architectural engineering and professional experience in game development, animation, and immersive media, Ahmad brings a multidisciplinary perspective to his work. In addition to his academic pursuits, he has served as a creative director in the MENA region’s animation industry and continues to support projects in game design and educational technology.
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Ariane BenoitAriane Benoit is an anthropologist, well-being practitioner and artistic performances creator. After a PhD in anthropology (2017) and a 4 year certificate in Inuit language (2013) in Paris, she moved to Canada to work with Inuit and First Nations on children and families' health and well-being projects at Laval University and Quebec Public Health National Institute.
Her research projects are collaborative and focused on child and human global development, adoption and fostering, family well-being, Inuit systems of values and interpersonal communication. |
Belinda UgjukBelinda is First Nations and has lived in Kangiqliniq, Nunavut since she was a child. Belinda has worked with and supported children, youth and families for more than 20 years. Belinda is also a proud mom and grandmother. Belinda has experience giving birth in the community with midwives, traveling to Winnipeg to give birth, and with custom adoption. She brings her experience, knowledge and education of living in the Kivalliq and supporting young peoples’ health to the team.
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Chi-Chi ArinzeChi-chi is an educator and the principal at John Arnalukjuak High School in Arviat, Nunavut. Dedicated to the education and wellbeing of Inuit youth for over 20 years, she has been instrumental in connecting youth with the Keeping the Children Home project so that they have the opportunity to engage in research with Elders, to engage with other Indigenous youth in Canada, and to determine what research priorities are important to them. Chi-chi recognizes the unique challenges faced by young parents and knows that they can contribute to improving community health and wellness. By encouraging youth to engage in research and potentially pursue post-secondary studies, her hope is that Inuit youth will feel empowered to share their voices and perspectives as future leaders in the community.
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Coral MaloneyCoral Maloney is a Research Collaborator with Arctic Wellness and is an independent consultant and researcher. She was born in northwestern Ontario, raised in Winnipeg, and now lives in Mi'kma'ki. Coral holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Midwifery and has been a registered midwife since 2019. Recent work includes participating as an advisor to the Continuum of Care for Pregnant Persons Diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder published by Nova Scotia Health, IWK Health and the Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia. Coral has also worked as a consultant for a virtual community of practice resource through the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine, and has facilitated and lectured at the university level including at Dalhousie University and University of Winnipeg. Coral currently holds a non-clinical position within Primary Health Care at Nova Scotia Health.
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Evgeniia (Jen) SidorovaEvgeniia (Jen) Sidorova is an Indigenous researcher and a consultant. She identifies as Sakha from Yakutsk, Sakha Republic (Russia), where her people are traditionally cattle and horse breeders. She is currently based in Moh’kinstsis (Calgary, Alberta) in Treaty 7 Territory.
Jen holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary, where she studied the incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge into Arctic politics, as well as a Master of Arts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, focused on comparative resource extractive regimes in the Arctic region. She has worked with Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada as a Policy and Research Analyst and has consulted for organizations including Indspire and the Vancouver Island Human Rights Coalition. Jen also served as a Postdoctoral Scholar with the Canadian Northern Corridor Research Program at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. |
Gail BaikieGail is a descendant of Labrador Inuit and a Senior Instructor with Dalhousie University at the School of Social Work. Her research expertise spans Indigenous social policy, community wellness and healing, community participatory action research, socio-health practice in northern, rural and remote communities, and arts-based methods. Among other things, she has been instrumental in leading projects that address the well-being of Inuit women, women’s leadership development, critical reflective learning, and the professional education of Indigenous Peoples. She has a particular interest in the interaction of Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives and practices.
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Geela Amarudjuak IllungiayokGeela is an Inuk youth leader from Arviat, Nunavut. In partnership with the Elders, she leads meetings and events with the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). Geela has several years' experience supporting research with Dr. Johnston and is a Student Support Assistant at the high school youth.
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Joanna GalassoJoanna Galasso (B.Sc., D.C. PgCSH, RSW) is a registered social worker, perinatal chiropractor, sexual health educator, and birth doula based in Edmonton, Alberta. She completed her Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Calgary. Joanna brings a multidisciplinary background to her work, combining clinical experience with community-based advocacy and education. Her research has focused on body sovereignty, healthcare access, and perinatal health equity, particularly in partnership with Inuit communities. She is committed to ethical, decolonial, and culturally grounded research that centers Inuit voices and supports community-led solutions in healthcare.
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JoAnna QuinangnaqJoAnna has always lived in Nunavut, is an Inuktitut language speaker, and has worked in community health and school settings supporting children and families for more than 15 years. JoAnna is a proud mom and grandmother. She and her family have varied experiences with giving birth- from being born on the land in an Iglu, to travelling to Winnipeg with and without family escorts, and to giving birth in community with support from midwives. JoAnna’s life and work experience contributes to the research by helping to plan and develop Virtual Reality (VR)/ immersive technology resources for women who have to travel to Winnipeg from Nunavut to give birth to their babies. JoAnna also loves fishing and spending time on the land with her family.
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Jolene AndersonJolene Anderson (Honours Bachelor of Arts with Specialization in English, Bachelors of Education) has been an educator for 20 plus years and has worked in several indigenous communities across Canada, including, Ontario, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and currently Saskatchewan. She has also taught internationally, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Jolene has worked in 3 communities in Nunavut as a teacher and administrator. She recently resigned from an administration position in Rankin Inlet to be with her son and continue her teaching career in a rural community in Saskatchewan. Jolene is passionate about First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education and making a difference in the lives of those living in remote areas. |
Judy Inugjuaq ClarkI am originally from Churchill (Kuugjuaq), Manitoba and an Inuk beneficiary of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, Whale Cove (Tikirarjuaq), Nunavut. My mother is Inuk and father is northern European. My current work is Inuit Health Advisor for CPAC (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer) and as an Inuit Health Researcher with Ongomiziiwin/UofM. My work history and background is in the medical field, as a nurse for 32 years and I retired in 2019. I have experience in mental health, community health, and psychogeriatrics. It has been a fulfilling career in nursing. My work with Inuit health already has been quite enlightening and engaging with Inuit communities of Manitoba and Nunavut. My work is centered around the social determinants of Inuit health and Inuit Qujiminajatuqangit (or IQ Principles). I am currently collaborating with several universities on Inuit child welfare and apprehensions and perinatal care. Inuit perspectives are essential to gathering research data to ensure Inuit specific research and programming can be applied and are grounded in IQ. When I am not working, I am also currently enrolled in a 2-year research program with McMaster University. My research project for the 2nd year will involve maternal/infant sepsis, identifying the risk factors, and how to mitigate them on an individual level, community level, and federal level. I also sit on several committees and I am a Board Member with the Women’s Health Clinic. It is a privilege to work with such knowledgeable, inspiring people!
I strive to work with those who are dedicated to honoring Truth and Reconciliation and making changes to reflect equity with the services they provide. |
Julie-Anne Mallette-MaunoJulie-Anne is a Franco-Ontarian registered social worker, researcher, mother, and therapist specializing in reproductive and perinatal mental health, trauma therapy, and family support. With over two decades of frontline perinatal and community experience, she brings a trauma-informed, anti-colonial, collaborative lens to her work. Rooted in the Boreal forest where she lives with her family on Treaty 9 Territory (Northeastern Ontario), her interests include reproductive and perinatal health, grief and loss, and the role of stories and knowledge in shaping care.
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Kangsoo KimDr. Kangsoo Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, and the Director of the Human-X Interaction (HXI) Lab. Dr. Kim is an expert in human interaction with computers, focusing particularly on how people engage with immersive eXtended Reality (XR) technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR). He obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Electronics and Computer Engineering from Hanyang University in South Korea and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Before joining Schulich, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab at the University of Delaware and the Synthetic Reality Lab (SREAL) at UCF, with an additional appointment in the College of Nursing at UCF.
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Kathleen KennyKathleen Kenny is a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Community and Global Heath at the University of Manitoba. Her work investigates the influences of institutional environments on health inequities, with a primary focus on examining and improving the health outcomes of families at risk of or involved with Child Protective Services (CPS). She has worked and conducted community-partnered research with parents and families impacted by CPS in Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
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Lisa K. SpencerLisa is a firm believer in social justice and continuous learning for personal and professional growth. Lisa has a degree in child development, a masters degree in child and youth care and a masters degree in social work. Their experience with social justice and advocacy started with disabled children and their families, but they continue to expand their understanding of many lived experiences (i.e. LGBTQ+, Black, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Afro-Indigenous Peoples). They are cognizant of power dynamics between professionals and the people with whom they work, using a critical lens and anti-oppressive approach. Lisa strongly believes that self-reflection and critical analysis are needed for meaningful relationships and that organizations must include the narrative of the very people they serve.
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Lydia Mukyungnik
Lydia is an Inuk researcher, mother, hunter, and community advocate who brings a deep connection to the land and Inuit knowledge to her work and community of Arviat, Nunavut. She has led perinatal and family-focused groups and community programs that support parents in meaningful, culturally grounded ways. Lydia carries a strong commitment to perinatal wellness and to creating spaces where Inuit families can learn, share, and feel supported. A valued team member, she has developed wall hangings exploring Inuit perinatal knowledge and she continues to guide ongoing conversations to support sharing and generating Inuit perinatal knowledge.
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Maani BrownMaani was born in Churchill, Manitoba to Ron and Levinia Brown, and raised in Kangiqtiniq (Rankin Inlet), Nunavut. Ron was the hunter and provider for the family while Levinia has been an educator, politician and advocate for Inuit rights. Maani is a successful seamstress, crafter, and sewing instructor, and mother to 7 children. She is passionate about sharing her experiences concerning health and social services systems to promote better services and supports, as well as advocating for mental health care for Nunavummiut. Maani dreams of building a community space dedicated to Elders that would include a community kitchen. She would like Elders to be able to share their knowledge, advice and experience more fully in their communities and for country food to be more accessible.
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Dr. Marie JonesMarie is an Obstetrician Gynecologist based out of Squamish, BC. She completed her residency in Winnipeg where she had the privilege to work in outreach clinics in Northern Manitoba and Nunavut. Her work has involved advocating for women's health and maternity care resources in rural communities to support families being cared for safely closer to home.
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Marlyn BennettMarlyn Bennett (Waawaate Ikwe | Northern Lights Woman) is an Anishinaabe woman from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation in Treaty 1 Territory, Manitoba. She is a tenured Associate Professor, cross-appointed to the Faculty of Social Work and the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, and holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Children’s Wellbeing. She is also an adjunct professor with the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba and a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Bennett is also a faculty member with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Indigenous Leadership program, where she contributes to the development and facilitation of Dreaming Forward: Exploring Pathways in Child Welfare.
Dr. Bennett’s expertise lies in Indigenous child welfare, with a particular focus on qualitative and arts-based research methodologies including photo-voice, digital storytelling, and narrative inquiry with First Nations youth transitioning out of care. Her scholarship is rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, decolonial ethics, and community-led approaches to healing and wellness. Over her career, Marlyn has held several leadership roles in community and academic organizations. She is the past President and current Director-at-Large for Animikii Ozoson Child & Family Services and formerly served on the Board of Sandy Bay Child and Family Services in her home community. She was a long-time public representative on the Board of the Manitoba College of Social Workers and spent two decades advising the First Nations Canadian Incidence Study (CIS). From 2010–2013, she served as President of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba. Marlyn has also contributed to child protection advocacy through her board involvement with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (formerly Child Find Manitoba) and Beyond Borders, supporting efforts to safeguard children from sexual exploitation and abduction. Earlier in her career, she spent 13 years as Director of Research with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and served as Acting Director and Assistant Professor in the Master of Social Work based in Indigenous Knowledges Program at the University of Manitoba. Beyond academia, Marlyn is a practicing artist and digital designer. She co-owns EB2 Image Design Research, a creative studio producing logos, photography, video, and print materials for Indigenous organizations across Manitoba and Ontario. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Raven Marie, who was born during her second year of law school in 1993. |
Mary Ann ForbesMary Ann Forbes is a proud Inuk, born and raised in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Mary Ann has been a visitor on Treaty 7 territory for 30 years and originally came to Calgary to obtain her master's degree in Educational Psychology. Mary Ann has returned to study at the University of Calgary this Fall and is working towards a master's in Public Policy.
Mary Ann has advocated for children, youth, and vulnerable adults in non-profit, education, government, post-secondary, and public sector settings, while also encouraging organizations to decolonize and incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. She is passionate about community building, healing from shame and intergenerational trauma, and celebrating Indigenous Peoples. As a part of the Inuit Perinatal Health Project, Mary Ann is helping to build resources and capacity in community with other Inuit. |
Nadine AlareakNadine is a wife, mother, and grandmother from Arviat, Nunavut. Two of Nadine’s children were born in Arviat with a midwife and she had to travel to Winnipeg or Churchill, Manitoba to have her other 5 children on her own without a medical escort. It was hard and stressful leaving her family each time. Nadine has shared some of her personal experience through this research and she feels proud when she can share her story and the experience of other Inuit women. “I feel heard and I feel like the people who are listening are working to make things better for Inuit.” It’s important for people to know how hard it is for women who have to leave their families and travel to Winnipeg and give birth to their children.
Nadine has been working as a research assistant for about 11 years. She recruits women and families to do surveys and she enjoys connecting with women and encouraging them along the way. Inuktitut is still the first language for most Inuit in Arviat so Nadine also translates the surveys and information into Inuktitut. Nadine enjoys working with other women around prenatal care, promoting breastfeeding, and encouraging single mothers to advocate for themselves. Instead of going into foster care or seeing children being adopted to strangers outside the community, Nadine would also like to see more efforts made to keep kids with extended family. In her spare time, Nadine loves baking bread and bannock, and knitting hats. |
Nuatie AggarkNuatie is Inuk and from Arviat, Nunavut. She brings a youth voice and perspective to this project and is a strong advocate for change. Nuatie has worked on several research projects, has the lived experience of giving birth outside her community, and has knowledge of the policies, systems, and structures impacting youth. Nuatie has participated in the Social Service Worker Program at Nunavut Arctic College, is an accomplished photographer, has provided Inuktitut translation services, supported students at the high school, and worked as a radio announcer in Arviat. Nuatie currently works with Nunavut Independent Television (NITV)/ Isuma TV/ Uvagut TV, which is Canada's first artist-run media centre located in a remote Inuit community. Nuatie interviews and supports community members in the production and distribution of Indigenous knowledge, specifically Inuktitut and other Aboriginal-language videos and media activism.
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Patti JohnstonPatricia (Patti) Johnston is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. She holds a PhD in Social Work and completed a Bating-Postdoctoral-Fellowship at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Canadian Studies Centre. She is a Qallunaaq (non-Inuk), white settler from southern Canada and she works from the Faculty’s Central and Northern Alberta Region office (Indigenous lands, Treaty 6) in Edmonton, Alberta.
Patti’s research focuses on community-based socio-health participatory research in relation to social, cultural, and economic impacts of socio-health policy on Inuit children and families in Nunavut, Inuit self-determination and governance, anti-Inuit racism and discrimination, gendered labor and exclusion, Indigenous Knowledges and ways of knowing and being, Inuit-approaches to child and family wellness (child welfare, family strengthening), and the perpetuation of colonial relations, systems, structures, and approaches over time. Her work is dedicated to enhancing Inuit women's health and wellness, health equity, capacity enhancing strategies, community development, and keeping Inuit families together. Her work involves the examination of the social determinants of health in northern rural and remote communities. Patti engages in research that is based in Inuit cultural understandings and collaboration with northern Arctic community members, leaders, and organizations, and interdisciplinary academic partners to address issues relevant to, and determined by, Arctic Indigenous peoples. To this work, Patti brings experience from working for four provincial and territorial governments and over two decades of work with/ in Inuit Nunangat. Patti is passionate about supporting rural and remote northern peoples, and advocating for northern-determined and directed education, training, employment, and research. |
Robyn LongRobyn (she/her) is based in Seattle and has lived and worked globally, including the Middle East, Botswana, Europe and India. She holds a BA/MA in International Development & Social Change from Clark University and a MSW from the University of Washington (UW), where she was also a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow through the UW Canadian Studies Center. She has also completed graduate studies at the University of Calgary and an extensive yoga and meditation program at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai.
Robyn’s career has centered on collaborating with communities and academic institutions to co-create and implement culturally grounded programs that enhance individual and collective well-being. She is the former Director of Community Programs and Training at the UW Center for Child & Family Well-Being and, most recently, worked with the Inuit Circumpolar Council and Seven Directions: An Indigenous Center for Public Health. Robyn is excited to be part of the team by conducting research and supporting logistics for projects and community partners. |
Rosanna AmarudjuakRosanna is a mother to 4 beautiful children, 2 girls and 2 boys, and a wife. She has lived in Arviat all her life and she is proud to be a mother and a Researcher.
As a researcher, Rosanna has the opportunity to learn new skills and support families in her community by encouraging them to participate in interviews, community meetings, and surveys. Because Inuktitut is the first language for most Inuit in Arviat, she also provides translation and transcription services. She is happy to be part of this research to recruit and interview research participants, build positive relationships within the team, travel, and meet new, friendly people. She enjoys interviewing people from the community because most mothers are comfortable talking to another Inuk mom. Sometimes the stories are sad/fun/and funny to hear, which helps the person to feel more loved, and gives them space to let go or talk about things they may not have felt safe or comfortable to talk about before. Rosanna has completed the Course on Research Ethics, TCPS 2: CORE 2022 based on the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. Outside of research, Rosanna has also received an Office Administration Program Certificate, a Haul Truck Operator Certificate, Work Readiness Program Certificate, and a Fur Production Program record of achievement. |
Shirley TagalikShirley Tagalik is an educator who has spent much of her professional life working on curriculum and assessment projects that are grounded in Inuit Qaujijimajatuqangit and she spearheaded the made-in-Nunavut curriculum work from 1999-2010. Shirley has also worked with early childcare service providers across Inuit Nunangat on several curriculum and resource development projects that are bringing inunnguiniq back into practice. For the past 30 years, Shirley has been working with Inuit Elders to document Inuit Qaujimajaqtuqangit – Inuit worldview and has supported the publication of two books.
Shirley now serves as a Director for the Aqqiumavvik Society where her primary research includes youth suicide prevention, youth engagement, early childhood development and family support, and articulating Inuit cultural knowledge frameworks within social development policy and practices. She is active in the areas of food security, climate change and sustainable adaptations, and she continues to be actively involved in community development projects and in promoting change in educational and wellness practices locally, nationally, and internationally. She is a 2012 Arctic Inspiration Prize Laureate and was awarded a Governor General Innovation Award for her work on Arctic Corridors and Northern Voices Research. |
Dr. Sonia ButaliaSonia Butalia is a Clinician-Scientist in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Her research interests are in innovative tools and strategies to improve diabetes care and other cardiovascular risk factors. Her research program is supported by the CIHR, Diabetes Canada, and Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). Her award-winning program of work importantly engages and is informed by patient partners, health care providers and decision makers.
She is a Diabetes Canada New Investigator (2018), the 2024 Libin Cardiovascular Institute's Researcher of the Year and the recipient of awards from Hypertension Canada (2020, team award) and the University of Calgary’s Department of Medicine (2021). She is a co-author of several national clinical practice guidelines for Diabetes Canada (formerly the Canadian Diabetes Association) and Hypertension Canada. She also teaches at the University of Calgary’s medical school, supervises graduate and medical trainees, and was awarded a Gold Star Resident Teaching Award for her contributions. She loves spending time with her family, friends, and enjoys all things sport and fitness. |
Tapisa KilabukTapisa is a culturally attuned lnuk researcher, educator, and facilitator with expertise in building research partnerships, managing community-based projects, and promoting Inuit-led initiatives. Tapisa excels at combining Inuit and Western methodologies to achieve meaningful and culturally significant outcomes, particularly in health care and education. Tapisa has two academic research papers under review for publication and recently published poetry in an anthology of Indigenous literature.
In addition to being a part of the Keeping the Children Home project with the University of Calgary, Tapisa has participated in research collaborations and writing with the University of Ottawa, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, the Nunavut Research Institute, Memorial University, and Nunavut Arctic College. Tapisa is a PURE Undergraduate Research Award Recipient (2023, 2024) at the University of Calgary and has been conducting research on Inuit representation and knowledge production in post-secondary Indigenous Studies. She has developed methodological frameworks that center Inuit epistemologies, challenged dominant academic narratives, and advocated for Inuit-led, self-determined research practices. Tapisa has critically examined systemic barriers and proposed frameworks for integrating Inuit knowledge systems into academic and policy spaces. |
Tara CollinsTara graduated with her PhD from the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary in 2022. Prior to returning to complete her PhD, Tara came to the project with over 20 years of practice experience in the areas of child welfare, families, addictions, trauma, long term care clinical practice, and mental health services. Tara is also a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary where she has taught an array of different courses. Tara currently works as a Research Project Coordinator with a collaborative project between the University of Calgary and the Distress Centre Calgary.
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Wendy HooperWendy is based in Winnipeg, and she is an assistant professor with Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Manitoba. She has been travelling to the Kivalliq to provide Obstetric and Gynecologic care, in collaboration with local care providers, since 2000. She currently travels to Rankin Inlet and Sanikiluaq, NU. She has been supporting and educating pregnant people, their families, and their care providers for her entire career. She strongly believes in the need to provide care in community, and to return birth to birthing centers in Nunavut.
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Zoua M. VangI am the Meta Schroeder Beckner Outreach Professor and a Professor of Civil Society and Community Studies in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My interdisciplinary scholarship lies at the intersection of sociology, epidemiology, and medicine. My research portfolio includes (i) maternal and child health, (ii) international migration (including the healthy immigrant effect), (iii) Indigenous health, (iv) racism and discrimination as social determinants of wellness, (v) community-based approaches to health equity, and (vi) cultural safety. I examine these issues in collaboration with underserved and marginalized populations such as immigrants/refugees, Indigenous peoples, and racial/ethnic minorities in Canada and the United States. Trained as a mixed-method researcher, I employ both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches in my projects.
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